The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior

The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior: The Intersecting Lives of Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Borgia and the World They Shaped by Paul Strathern  456 pp.

Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Cesare Borgia all lived in a turbulent era in Italian history. The different territories of Italy were in constant conflict over who was going to be in control with Pope Alexander VI's (Cesare Borgia's father) lust for power inciting much of it. The jewel in the crown was the city of Florence, the center of art, education, and culture once ruled by Lorenzo (de Medici) the Great. The paths of Leonardo, Machiavelli, and Borgia crossed and recrossed numerous times in various places. Leonardo was hired to create weaponry for Borgia's military campaigns. Machiavelli became a political strategist who found himself on the side of Borgia part of the time and against him at others. Borgia was a spoiled but ruthless leader of armies working for his father, the Pope while not always in agreement with him. I was unaware of the connections between the three although I knew Cesare Borgia was the model for Machiavelli's Prince. This book is well written and researched although I admit, had I not been listening to it on audio I probably would have set it aside because there are some slow sections.